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Daily news - 8th March 2024 |
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UK news
Spring Budget 2024: What does it mean for alcohol and e-cigarettes?
Following the Spring Budget on 6th March 2024, SARG experts Colin Angus and Duncan Gillespie take a look at what it means for alcohol and e-cigarette taxes | University of Sheffield, UK
National statistics: Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2023
Updated: Amendment to 'Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2023: data tables' - The number of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue seizures made by Border Force in 2017 to 2018 was missing from Appendix Table 3. This has now been corrected | Home Office, UK
Alcoholism and Drugs: Rehabilitation
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for the rollout of funding announced in the drug strategy housing support grant | They work for You, UK
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance for schools on identifying foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in pupils; and if she will take steps to increase awareness of FASD among teachers | They work for you, UK
Illegal Drug Use and Organised Crime
Parliamentary debate. The issue of drug use is exacerbated by organised crime and criminal gangs, not just here in the UK but across the globe. I have received estimates on the drug business in the UK—if drug death and drug peddling can be called a business. The estimates vary, but the value is approximately £9 billion to £9.5 billion per year. The cost of drugs is much greater than that, however, given hospitalisations and treatment, aftercare, and the problem of drugs in prisons. Estimates of the total cost are between £18 billion and £19.5 billion, so it is an extraordinarily expensive problem and it is escalating | They work for you, UK
UK Border Force: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Border Force personnel failed drug and alcohol tests in each year since 2015 | They work for you, UK
Gambling treatment: assessing the current system in England
A report assessing the current gambling treatment system for adults in England, looking at its strengths and opportunities for improvement | OHID, UK
Met Police detective sacked for possessing crystal meth
A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked after he was convicted of possessing the class A drug crystal meth | BBC, UK
Man who smuggled drugs to Peterborough prisoner via hug jailed
Matthew Tolcher, 34, handed crack cocaine and buprenorphine tablets to an inmate at HMP Peterborough. He had given the inmate a prolonged handshake and hug to disguise the handover during a visit in March 2022 | BBC, UK
International news
‘In a way, stigma is the leading cause of death’: the radical plan to tackle British Columbia’s overdose epidemic
A ‘compassion club’ was blocked from buying pure drugs on the dark web to supply to users – now they are taking on Canada’s government in court | Guardian, UK
University of Maryland bans fraternity and sorority events with alcohol
Groups were sent a letter telling them to suspect new member activities as well | Independent, UK
From butt cream to sports bras, CBD was unavoidable. But was it a fad?
Amid weed legalization, regulatory questions and reluctant businesses, the US market for cannabidiol has gone up in smoke | Guardian, UK
Irish drug gangs among 800 groups threatening EU security
There are 800 criminal groups in the EU that are posing a “real threat” to the internal security of the union. The estimate, compiled by Europol, the EU police agency, incorporates figures supplied by member states and other countries. It is not clear how many Irish networks are on the Europol list, but it is understood that gardaí assess there are at least 15 drug gangs operating at a national level in Ireland | Irish Examiner, Ireland
EMCDDA and Europol spotlight drug-related violence in latest market overview: EU drug markets analysis from the EMCDDA and Europol
Extreme drug-related violence is putting a strain on local communities and society, and corruption is facilitating drug trafficking and undermining the rule of law. These are among the insights shared in EU Drug Markets: Key insights for policy and practice, released by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) and Europol | EMCDDA, Portugal
Gender-responsive approaches to the acceptability, availability and affordability of alcohol (PDF)
Gender-related norms persist in our societies, including in the consumption of alcohol. Despite knowing that men and women consume alcohol differently and are affected by its harm differently, alcohol control policies and practice remain largely gender blind. The alcohol industry is increasingly using gendered approaches to appeal to consumers. To keep pace with these changing tactics, it is critical to take stock of what is known about gender-responsive approaches to tackle the acceptability, availability and affordability of alcohol | WHO, Switzerland
Volatile drug use and overdose during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
[Open access] Overdose deaths in the United States rose substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions to the drug supply and service provision introduced significant instability into the lives of people who use drugs (PWUD), including volatility in their drug use behaviors | IJDP, USA
Poison center sees dramatic increase in young children exposed to fentanyl
The Oregon Poison Center at Oregon Health & Science University is reporting a dramatic increase in cases of young children exposed to fentanyl. The poison center managed 16 cases of illicit fentanyl exposure in children younger than 6 years old in 2023, an increase from just 2 in 2021 and 0 in 2020 | Medical Xpress, USA
As xylazine surges, some lawmakers want jail time for dealers and people who use the drug
Legislators in a handful of states are offering bills to address the rise in the misuse of xylazine, a cheap animal sedative not intended for human consumption | Medical Xpress, USA
How a friend's death turned Colorado teens into anti-overdose activists
McKinney almost made it to his 16th birthday. He died of fentanyl poisoning at a friend's house in December 2021. His friends say it was the first time he tried hard drugs. The memorial service was so packed people had to stand outside the funeral home | Medical Xpress, USA
Colorado unveils first rules for facilitation of psychedelic therapy
Colorado's legal psychedelic therapy industry is beginning to take shape as regulators recently unveiled the first rules regarding facilitator education, training and licensure | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
ASH comment on Budget decisions on tobacco and vaping
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said,
“Putting excise duty on vapes gives much needed additional powers to Border Force and HMRC to stop the import of illegal vapes which are flooding the market and need to be brought under control. These are powers they already have for tobacco which helped reduce the consumption of illegal cigarettes by 80% between 2000 and 2021."... | ASH, UK
The postcode lottery of antenatal care for women who use opioids in pregnancy in Scotland
Do pregnant women who use opioids get the same level of care across the country? This was a question we tried to answer in a recently published study. We spoke to thirteen health and social care professionals (for example, midwives, neonatal nurses, obstetricians, and social workers) in the largest Health Boards: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside. Our main aim was to understand the care models in each Board and the strengths and challenges of each of them | DRNS blog, UK
A Post-Mortem Review of the Irish Citizens Assembly on Drug Use
In February 2023, the Irish Government announced the establishment of a Citizens Assembly on Drug Use. The Assembly began in April, aiming to “make recommendations on, legislative, policy and operational changes the State could make to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on individuals, families, communities and wider society.” The Assembly met for a period of 7 months and published a list of 36 final recommendations for considerations in January of this year, describing them as “significant changes to existing laws.” | Talking Drugs, UK